Holiday Closure and Sale

Our holiday closure dates are as follows:

22 December 2009 - 6 January 2010

The closure is inclusive of those dates. We will re-open at 10am on 7 January 2010.

During the closure time, we will be holding a holiday sale, which will leave CDs ordinarily priced at £6.99 selling for £4.99, and MCDs ordinarily priced at £5.55 selling for £3.99.

We would like to wish you a happy Yule and to thank you for your custom during 2009. May our friends thrive with brutal strength, unconquerable health, and prodigious health, and our enemies suffer a million calamities, flogged endlessly by the whip of misfortune, until their bloodied backs are raw and their pathetic squeals fill the freezing night.

Black Metal Poet

For the most part, underground Black Metal artists cultivate anonymity: they adopt arcane, mythological pseudonyms, mask their faces with corpsepaint, seldom or never play live, and are only (if at all) contactable via a cryptic, pseudonymous email, which often changes or expires without notice. Many even have standardised replies to interview questions that say much but tell nothing - they are merely exercises in comformity to a fantastical misanthropic orthodoxy. It is perfectly possible to listen, therefore, to a Black Metal artist's music for years, and never know anything about them, not even their names or what they look like.

Occasionally, however, we get glimpses of what lies behind the corpsepaint and the anti-human rhetoric.



The Times Colonist has published an article about 38-year-old Catherine Owen, who plays - or maybe played - in HELGRIND (Can) and INHUMAN (Can), and who is, apparently, a poet, with six volumes already published. Predictably, the dumb journalist is at a loss as to how poetry can in any way be compatible with Metal music.

At any rate, Owen claims Robinson Jeffers as an inspiration. Nietzschean artist Jonathan Bowden gave a talk in 2007 about this poet, whom he described as "[a]lmost an intellectual terrorist." Hear the talk HERE.

Robinson Jeffers died in 1962. An American poet, he proves to be the most radical pagan in verse to have composed in the last century. Outstripping D.H. Lawrence in works like Steelhead, Tamar, Roan Stallion and his version of Euripides’ Medea, Jeffers carries out a revolt against the modern world. Almost an intellectual terrorist – he remains unique.

The War Against Judaeo-Christianity

According to this news report, it would appear that the war continues with the same old methods of yesteryear:

Arsonists Torch Bronx Synagogue-Turned-Church
Source: http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5jRbsODO65t8iEJ1jSS6YsI6eMR0AD9CGSSLO1

NEW YORK — A former Bronx synagogue that was turned into a church was torched by assailants who smeared Satanic graffiti on its walls.

"We have no idea who did this," said the Rev. Raymond Talavera, pastor of the 150-member nondenominational Glory of Christ Church.

Only the hard plastic pulpit survived, the pastor said.

More than 100 firefighters were called to the scene at about 4 a.m. Wednesday, just before morning prayers at 5:30 a.m. By then, the flames in the two-story building were under control, according to fire department officials. Three firefighters suffered minor injuries.

Words scrawled in big black letters on a wall by the church entrance — "GET OFF OUR BLOCK" — offered no clue as to who was responsible for the fiery attack, said Talavera, speaking on his cell phone outside the building.

After stealing $300 from the offering box, "they took the church chairs and made a bonfire with them," he said.

The arsonists painted upside-down crosses and a pentagram — a five-point star surrounded by a "666," which the pastor said were meant to represent Satanic evil.

Elsewhere, they scrawled "Crip Kill" — referring to the name of the street gang, the Crips — and "We hate Jews and Christians."

Heat from the flames melted audiovisual equipment, and stained-glass windows that once belonged to the synagogue were blown out, Talavera said.

The congregation had a clothing outreach and a soup kitchen set up with a donation from the late Yankees broadcaster Bobby Murcer. It also had prepared Christmas gifts for children in the Parkchester area, and medicines to send to Africa.

The pastor was mystified.

"Nobody has ever expressed animosity against us," he said. "We're at a complete loss. It was a hateful thing."

I wonder how soon before they blame it on Black Metal and there is a call to ban the music.

Until the Light Takes Us

www.blackmetalmovie.com

I don't suppose I am the only one looking forward to seeing this. It might be the best film thus far on this topic, although I think it has been well covered and I personally would like to see more on what has happened since, as much, much has happened in the world of Black Metal since 1993.

Keep of Kalessin Bid to Participate in the Eurovision Song Contest

I never thought I would see the day... But, I suppose that after Lordi, anything is possible. Could this be the thin end of the wedge, heralding a change in consciousness, away from the values of the limp-wristed egalitarians and malevolent crypto-communists who engineered our profoundly dysfunctional and dystopian modernity?

Source: http://www.esctoday.com/news/read/14573

The Czech Inquisition

It seems the liberal oligarchy is prepared to tolerate Black Metal so long as it is Satanic, nihilistic, or suicidal, but the moment it is predicated on hierarchical, elitist, organic, völkisch values, the liberal oligarchs and the terrorist thugs they fund with tax-payers' money move to stigmatise it and shut it down. The article below, reporting on an allegedly "NSBM" gig (with AD HOMINEM, INFERNO, and SEKHMET), appeared in the Czech press: note how they are frustrated by the fact that neither the bands nor the audience broke the law; instead, they follow the Soviet discursive style and pile on negative, value-laden, and essentially meaningless adjectivation ("extremist", "neo-Nazi", "anti-Semitic", etc.), in an effort to scare people off this form of music.

Ideally, the liberal oligarchs would like to ban these concerts and prevent people front listening to the music that they like, simply because they don't think anybody should be allowed to disagree or criticise their unnatural, anti-elitist, anti-European values.

V Žatci se uskutečnilo několik podivných koncertů
http://zatecky.denik.cz/zpravy_region/koncerty_zatec_nackove_20091129.html

Stuttgard Youth Club Resists Censorship

The website Stattweb.de reported last weekend on a Black Metal concert held in Stuttgard on Saturday 14 November, featuring the Italian band STURMKAISER and the French band NOCTURNAL DEPRESSION. It seems the shady and hysterical Stuttgard Anti-Fascist Action pressured the youth centre to rescind their contract and ban the concert, alleging the bands were "Nazi". Fortunately, the venue resisted the pressure and the concert went ahead, as scheduled.

Stattweb's article is, of course, quite ignorant and grossly slanted, and received a lengthy refutation from the Popbüro Region Stuttgart, whom the article characterised, in an crudely defamatory fashion, as having provided a platform for anti-Semitism, Nazism, and racism. Unfortunately, the Popbüro comes across as on the defensive, which is not good, as this shows weakness and acceptance of the enemy's premises.

As to STURMKAISER, they state in their website that they are an apolitical band and that they simply use the aesthetics of paganism and warfare in a symbolic fashion. I have learnt to take such statements with a pinch of salt, as band members whom I have known to have clear political views, and whose music is, if in a sublimated and symbolic way, an expression of a strongly politicised sensibility, then claim they are "apolitical" in order to avoid boycotts and bans from frightened or politically correct distributors and magazines, or, worse, to avoid violence from terroristic political thugs, like the masked enforcers of political correctness who seek to ban and disrupt Black Metal concerts. Nevertheless, even if STURMKAISER's statement is an accurate reflection of their views, if I were them I would not bother with such remarks: when you play Black Metal, and when you use provocative imagery, you are inevitably going to upset people, even if you aim your art to a cloistered audience of like-minded fans. STURMKAISER should positively revel in being seen as monsters by the limp-wristed egalitarians, not grovel, explain, and apologise to them. Why be on the defensive? That only encourages the opposition, who are impervious to reason or persuasion anyway. The band should rather be attacking the idea that they owe egalitarians a justification for their elitism and hierarchical view of life, and follow the Nietzschean maxim of daring to be themselves.

Undead

Due to commitments elsewhere, we have neglected our blog for quite sometime. In all honesty, we have not ever been very good at maintaining them, perhaps because there is always a great deal to do and a blog, if it is to be kept interesting, needs a sustained investment of time and effort. Another problem is, perhaps, the fact that lack of time has meant not having prioritised thinking through the various options, conceptually speaking, to arrive at a sustainable and effective formula.

At any rate, we have now decided to put a remedy to that and will begin posting here once more. Keep your eyes open for updates on our activities, new arrivals, comments, and more.

Oops!

We did something wrong while uploading files onto the server yesterday afternoon and this has caused a blockage. As a result, if you visit our website you will get a 500 error. We working with our webhosting company to resolve the problem as quickly as possible.

Update:
Problem fixed.

KRODA Attacked by "Anti-Fascist" Terrorist Thugs in Poland

According to a report published by The Pagan Front, the thugs demolished the car, destroyed the instruments, and seriously injured members of the band. Consequently, the band was forced to abort their mini-tour through Poland, Germany, and Austria.

Following this incident, the German Metal magazine Ablaze Verlag has issued the following statement:

To all Bands, Labels, Mailorders, Publishers and Concert
promoters:

Once again within a few weeks, we have witnessed how Black Metal is being exploited for political purposes. That has to stop finally!

Due to this reason, we have published a proclamation ... that is primarily addressed at the Bands, Labels, Mailorders, Publishers and concert promoters, plus the entire Black Metal-scene in general. Show your public solidarity with our concern in this regard, please!

Some may wonder why we speak out against the so-called 'Antifa', and their activities in regard to Black Metal, first and foremost. Is it not that every political extremism has to be shunned altogether? Listen up, please! We don't care if one political ideology is 'better' than any other, be it 'left-wing' or 'right-wing' for that matter! We could not care less about such arguments.

We do care, however, when freedom of speech and of expression in Black Metal are at stake. Such danger is imminent, and it has one cause only: the 'Antifa', that is! Who else is terrorizing the scene with a campaign of threats, intimidation and violence against those who hold an opinion of their own? No one else but the 'Antifa' - but what do they have to do with Black Metal anyway?! They don't even listen to this music! They are only interested in enforcing their own political agenda, including the persecution of those who have different opinions. In this regard, the 'Antifa' is not different from any other group who subscribes to a totalitarian ideology. But no other group is pushing their politics on our scene like the 'Antifa' does. They have declared an outright culture struggle (Kulturkampf) on our scene, in order to decide upon the future definition of Black Metal. To this end, the freedom of speech and of expression
shall be abolished. We denounce this outrage, and we do so publicly!

Defend the freedom of speech and of expression in Black Metal!

The editors of Ablaze
http://www.ablaze-magazin.de/

Outage Resolved

The maintenance issue has been resolved and our webstore is once again working normally.

Temporary Outage

Our webstore is temporarily out of action due to unexpected maintenance issues. We are currently communicating with our webhosting company in order to get the matter resolved.

The Meads of Asphodel: Black Metal's Harry Stephen Keeler

If there was ever a literary equivalent to THE MEADS OF ASPHODEL, it would have to be the novels of Harry Stephen Keeler.. Having always been interested in extremes, and being, back in 2007, in the process of writing a novel (completed in 2008, and due to be published this year), I discovered this author after doing a Google search with the term "worst ever author" - knowing, of course, that "worst" often means, not "really bad" necessarily, but "misunderstood genius or non-conformist".

Like the abovementioned English Black Metal band, Keeler violated all the accepted rules for (in his case, not composing an album but) writing a novel: he crammed his often long and convoluted and intricately-plotted mystery novels with all manner of bizarre ethnic characters, improbable coincidences, and an tortuous and highly inventive prose - something we can find parallels of in the MEAD's eccentric songwriting and flouting of Black Metal orthodoxy. One of the most often cited examples of Keeler's style is the following segment, to be found in the first chapter of his 1934 novel, "The Riddle of the Travelling Skull":

For it must be remembered that at the time I knew quite nothing, naturally, concerning Milo Payne, the mysterious Cockney-talking Englishman with the checkered long-beaked Sherlockholmsian cap; nor of the latter's "Barr-Bag" which was as like my own bag as one Milwaukee wienerwurst is like another; nor of Legga, the Human Spider, with her four legs and her six arms; nor of Ichabod Chang, ex-convict, and son of Dong Chang; nor of the elusive poetess, Abigail Sprigge; nor of the Great Simon, with his 2163 pearl buttons; nor of--in short, I then knew quite nothing about anything or anybody involved in the affair of which I had now become a part, unless perchance it were my Nemesis, Sophie Kratzenschneiderwümpel--or Suing Sophie!

Such a segment reveals also a type of humour which can be readily identified in Metatron's spawn, what with the absurdly long titles to some of the MEADS' songs, such as "Behold the Kindred Battle Carcasses Strewn Across the Bloodied Dunes of Gilgamesh Mute in the Frenzied Clamour of Death's Rolling Tongue and Ravenous Bursting Steel" (Damascus Steel); "On Graven Images I Glide Beyond the Monstrous Gates of Pandemonium to Face the Baptized Warriors of Yahweh in the Skull Littered Plain of Esdraelon" (Exhuming the Grave of Yeshua); and "Falling with Lightning Rays Beamed through the Blazing Firmament Towards the Untented Burial Ground of Kharsag" (The Excommunication of Christ); or, the lyrics of that latter song.



Unsurprisingly, and not unlike the MEADS, Keeler had a dedicated following (peaking in the mid-1920s and early-1930s); while otherwise remaining a fairly marginal within the genre, never reaching the mass appeal levels of more conventional counterparts. We know plenty of very good, but otherwise orthodox, Black Metal bands who have attained commercial success; Keeler's literary counterparts, at least during the 1920s and 30s, were the likes of Raymond Chandler and Dashiell Hammett - authors who, defined a genre and became successful, but who avoided the fervid, far-out eccentricities seen particularly in Keeler's later novels.

I mention Keeler a few times in Mister, and one of my birthday presents from my wife last year was a first paperback edition of Keeler's most popular novels (and, as far as I know, the only one that was ever made into a film), Sing Sing Nights.



The parallels between the MEADS and Keeler do not end there, but discussing them here would reveal more information than is appropriate.

I wonder whether Metatron would concurr with my appraisal.

Cliff Richard, Whitney Houston and Bing Crosby are most likely to be used for torture

Cliff Richard, Whitney Houston and Bing Crosby are most likely to be used for torture

Songs by Cliff Richard, Whitney Houston and Bing Crosby are most likely to be used for torture, Scots researchers have revealed.

Academics at Glasgow University have claimed expletive laden tracks by Marilyn Manson, Eminem and Scandinavian Black Metal bands are less malevolent than music by their squeaky clean pop counterparts.

Seemingly innocent tunes such as, White Christmas and I Will Always Love You are amongst the biggest offenders - despite their family-friendly lyrics...

Continued here: http://www.eveningtimes.co.uk/news/display.var.2479280.0.its_official_cliff_songs_are_torture.php

Are we surprised, really?

While the article below only confirms what we already knew in relation to Black Metal (about the other two artists, I would not know, as I have never heard their music), it is amazing that the academics who have conducted this research at Glasgow University have missed the most obvious explanation for their predictable findings: Scandinavian Black Metal is less likely to be used for torture because it is, in fact, music of vastly superior merit. Aside from those who might belong to an entirely different generation, or come from an incompatible cultural background, those who fail to appreciate it at least at some level are only able to tolerate their condition because they are one, some, or all of the following: profoundly deaf, mentally defective, or self-hating conformists too terrified to differ from their peers to venture outside mainstream Pop; they are incapable, in other words, of appreciating art or being stirred by Nietzschean sentiments of force and glory. Of course, no repressive regime would ever need to torture any of these specimens: a totalitarian order requires and welcomes their type, and uses all available means to mass-produce it; the ones typically targetted by said regimes are, in fact, the contrarians who think critically and refuse to surrender, apologise, or conform.

It is good to know that everyday observation and experience are now officially reinforced by the rigor of science.

Now, if you know what is good for you, you will know to go here.

Dr. Tomislav Sunic's New Official Website

Dr. Tomislav Sunic, author of Homo Americanus and other monographs, has a new website online. You can visit it here. His new website includes a full bibliography, essays, photographic gallery, and a compilation of links to video and audio interviews.

Published in 2007, I read this book while away in Wales, on the week I proposed to my now wife.

In this book Dr. Tomislav Sunić describes the origins and dynamics of America's founding myths. Quoting and translating from many long-forgotten or suppressed sources from the fields of literature, history, anthropology and philosophy, the book represents an interdisciplinary compendium dealing with the topic of Americanism. The genealogy of early Calvinist Puritanism mixed with the techno-scientific religion of boundless economic progress and legally veiled in the obscure para-Biblical and Jewish-inspired sense of political self-chosenness, created a system that has little in common with its original design. Postmodern Americanism, with its abstract theories of multiculturalism and its global desire for world improvement, turned America into a menacing and self-destructive continent that puts not only the survival of America's European heritage at risk, but threatens the heritage of other peoples worldwide as well.

As some of the more politically-oriented Black Metal musicians, particularly in Eastern Europe, have expressed views critical of Americanism and 'the West', this text might be of interest to people interested in understanding the ideologically-inspired facets of this corner of our music scene. Although there are many artists out there who simply emulate the attitudes of their peers, and, out of a desire to conform to the norms of the scene and establish their credentials as despisers of the mainstream, limit themselves to thoughtlessly reproducing the most common statements that happen to be in circulation (in other words, they have most likely have not read this particular author), I am pleased to say that some of our own artists (e.g. DRUDKH, ELDRIG / FANISK) are familiar with Dr. Sunic's texts and ideas.